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It comes after High Court judges last month gave the go-ahead for a fresh inquest into the find in the hope the body can finally be identified and Mr Dowley laid to rest.

Detective Constable Don Kenyon, who is leading the investigation, said: “We combine the latest advances in DNA technology and traditional investigative methods to help conclude enquiries started years ago to help bring some closure to families who have lived with uncertainty for such a long time.

A body is being exhumed at Menai Bridge Cemetery in the bid to find the identity of remains washed up on a beach in 1987. Picture: Arwyn Roberts (Image: Daily Post Wales)

“Criminality is not suspected in any of the cases and the focus of the operation is simply to identify, reunite and allow the dignity of a funeral service for family and friends to pay their respects.”

He added: “As a result of our investigations, and with the assistance of the Missing Person Bureau and the Gardaí in Ireland, we now believe there is a strong possibility the remains are those of Joseph Brendon Dowley, a 63-year-old Irish citizen living at the time in London.

“Mr Dowley had been visiting family in Ireland in October 1985 and was last seen when he was driven to the ferry terminal by a relative.

“The purpose of the exhumation is to gain a DNA profile for comparison with the DNA of family members of Mr Dowley in Ireland who have been kept fully aware of developments.

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“If the identity is confirmed by HM Coroner we hope to reunite Mr Dowley with his family as soon as possible to grant them the dignity and comfort of a full funeral service.”

It follows a protracted investigation under Operation Orchid where North Wales Police detectives use the latest DNA technology to help identify human remains discovered in the region over the last five decades.